Lynch has been courting unions and other progressive types in the run up to the Democratic primary in September, hoping to carve out space to the left of rival Frank T. Caprio.

And if he wins the party’s nomination, Lynch will have to face Republican-turned-independent Lincoln Chafee, who can make a more than credible bid for the support of labor.

So eyebrows arched, a couple of weeks back, when Lynch said during a gubernatorial debate that he opposed a bill designed to give new life to Deepwater Wind’s plans for a 110-turbine wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island.

The wind farm, which could mean hundreds of jobs here, nearly ran aground in March when the state’s Public Utility Commission dealt a major blow to an eight-turbine demonstration project that is to serve as precursor for the larger farm.

The PUC found that Deepwater’s proposed sale price for energy from the small wind farm would place an undue burden on Rhode Island ratepayers.

Deepwater and its allies argued that the commission did not give enough weight to the environmental benefits of the project or the long-term price stability it might provide.

And a bill authored by State Senator V. Susan Sosnowski aims to fix the problem by allowing Deepwater Wind to circumvent the PUC and win approval from four other state agencies.

Lynch, while supportive of the wind farm, came out in opposition to the bill, arguing that it would set a bad precedent by allowing a single company to subvert the regulatory process.

And he has company: good-government groups like Common Cause and even environmentalist organizations in favor of the wind farm, like the Conservation Law Foundation, have voiced objections to the bill.

Lynch, moreover, argues that high electricity rates could damage Rhode Island’s economy at a particularly vulnerable moment. “From a jobs perspective, it might sadly be a loser for Rhode Island,” he says.

But George Nee, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, says the attorney general’s position on the bill is “extremely disappointing” given what the wind farm could mean for the state. “In a lot of people’s eyes, this is a key component for the economic future of Rhode Island,” he says.

Indeed, the wind farm is that rare project that has the backing of labor and business, the Republican governor and Democratic legislature — all of whom view green jobs as an important part of Rhode Island’s return to economic health. And Lynch’s position on the bill, whatever its merits, seems to have placed a ceiling on his level of union support.

But the attorney general, in truth, never had a clear path to wide-ranging labor endorsements. Union leaders say the attorney general was slow to push for ramped-up enforcement of the state’s “prevailing wage” law, which requires contractors on publicly funded projects to pay tradesmen the prevailing wage for the area.

And union leaders say Lynch has not pressed hard enough to crack down on companies classifying workers as contractors, rather than full employees, in order to cut costs.

Lynch insists he has been a leader on both issues and points to a bill he offered up in March that would allow for stepped-up enforcement of prevailing wage and classification laws.

The campaign also voices confidence that Lynch will garner the majority of labor support as the race wears on. And he has already secured an endorsement from one key union: the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 328.

But building on that support, it seems, will take some serious fence-mending.

Starting to clear Maine’s broadband backlog The biggest obstacle between Mainers and more, better, faster broadband Internet access is actually a very basic one: there's a lack of information about what kind of Internet service is already available where.

They wanna be governor In our typical Portland Phoenix format, here’s a one-by-one look at all the folks who claim they want to be Maine’s next governor. (In our book, anyone crazy enough to say they want that job probably has done something to karmically deserve it.)

Faltering steps forward As in many other sectors, the green world in 2009 was marked as much by bluster as by tangible positive action.

Carter vs. the Clamshell: round one is a standoff The presidential party arrives in a rush through the side door near the stage, and those in the audience at Portsmouth High School stand to applaud. Many are on their toes and crane their necks to catch a glimpse of Jimmy Carter in the confusion down front.

Tilting at Windows Stallman — a legend in the programmer community for more than a quarter century — considers it his life's work to proselytize the free-software gospel, educating the lay people who'd otherwise assume that Microsoft or Apple are exclusively synonymous with computing.

The Mighty Wind The Rhode Island recession, among the worst in the country, has become something of a national curiosity: how could such a little state be in such big trouble?

A mighty wind This past Earth Day, President Barack Obama, speaking at an Iowa wind-turbine factory, delivered a gusty peroration. "The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy," he said. "America can be that nation. America must be that nation."

LIBERAL WARRIOR | April 10, 2013 When it comes to his signature issues — climate change, campaign finance reform, tax fairness — Whitehouse makes little secret of his approach: marshal the facts, hammer the Republicans, and embarrass them into action.

AT BROWN, A WIN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISTS | April 11, 2013 A key Brown University oversight committee has voted to recommend the school divest from coal, delivering a significant victory to student climate change activists.

HACKING POLITICS: A GUIDE | April 03, 2013 Last year, the Internet briefly upended everything we know about American politics.

BREAK ON THROUGH | March 28, 2013 When I spoke with Treasurer Gina Raimondo this week, I opened with the obligatory question about whether she'll run for governor. "I'm seriously considering it," she said. "But I think as you know — we've talked about it before — I have little kids: a six-year-old, an eight-year-old. I'm a mother. It's a big deal."

THE LIBERAL CASE FOR GUNS | March 27, 2013 The school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut spurred hope not just for sensible gun regulation, but for a more nuanced discussion of America's gun culture. Neither wish has been realized.